Chart splitting Gen Z into ‘1.0 and 2.0’ goes viral—and now everyone is arguing

A chart outlining the alleged differences between Gen Z 1.0 vs Gen Z 2.0 is, fittingly enough, dividing people online.

There’s debate over the exact frame of time that encompasses Gen Z, but the term applies to anyone born roughly between 1997 and 2009. There’s bound to be some major differences in culture with a 12-year gap at play, just as there has been for most previous generations.

But as the youngest members of Gen Z are still in their teen years, we’re still grappling with what, exactly, those differences look like, and what impact they’ve had.

Gen Z 1.0 vs. Gen Z 2.0

One theory is that COVID plays a major role in marking the split between the elder and younger members of the generation

Writer Rachel Janfaza recently made waves by expanding on this idea with a graphic listing several key points she believes separate the two halves into Gen Z 1.0 and Gen Z 2.0. The first, she suggests, graduated high school before the pandemic hit, while the second graduated or will graduate sometime after.

In the left-hand column—Gen Z 1.0—Janfaza also listed, “Flip phone before an iPhone, grew up with Instagram but without TikTok,” “Started college in the first Trump era,” and “The Women’s March, March for Our Lives, Climate Strikes, Black Lives Matter movements were part of the zeitgeist.”

In the right-hand column—Gen Z 2.0—she had down, “Only known smartphones, use Snapchat > iMessage, TikTok is formative,” “Started college in the Biden era,” and “Resistance to Covid and masking protocols, movement toward free speech, Maga/Trump is the counter-culture.”

There really are two Gen Z’s pic.twitter.com/2xlaDhOEO2

— Rachel Janfaza (@racheljanfaza) February 3, 2025

Members of Gen Z (and others) weigh in

Right away, not everyone was on board with the chart and its conclusions. A quick consideration of the dates reveals some inconsistencies. If you place the divide at graduating before or during/after COVID, the generation would be split between those born from 1997 to around 2001 vs those born from 2001 to 2009. 

TikTok became popular in 2018-2019, which suggests it probably wouldn’t have been formative for those who graduated in 2020. The Black Lives Matter protests were big throughout 2020, when some alleged members of Gen Z 2.0 would already be starting college, or at least be old enough to pay attention from their high school classrooms. And of course, those born after 2006 are more likely to start college in the second era of Trump.

So it’s no surprise that some members of Gen Z pushed back, insisting that they were a mix of the things, or something else, while others questioned the bullet points here entirely. 

I’m ‘98 I had flip phones before ever getting an iPhone

— emory (@emory_ligas) February 4, 2025

“There is great divide between 22 and 21 year olds” https://t.co/dzXh8qZybL

— Jaco (@Jacolinterna45) February 4, 2025

Congratulations to the anecdotal Gen Z flip phone owners. But we’re talking about owning flip phones on a generational level because that’s all that existed, not bc you couldn’t afford a smartphone or bc your parents believed you were too young to be responsible for one.

— Giraffic Park (@GirafficPark_) February 4, 2025

I feel like this framing really just further sews divide which keeps people from unifying for greater causes. Think about how much this type of generational discourse leads to older individuals dismissing the opinions of the younger, now its to the point we’re breaking up gens

— Parker T (@OingusBoingus27) February 4, 2025

You would be incorrect.

— Thigh. Goddess (@TreaTrea1) February 4, 2025

I graduated during covid im the secret third thing https://t.co/MaW7k8tRWh

— | 🐲 ⟩⟨ 🐲 | vox ⟩ (@vox_munu) February 4, 2025

this was either made by someone who’s interacted with 2 people from gen z or someone who’s just really dumb https://t.co/z1R9afnaEl

— blair ² (@recycledairrr) February 4, 2025

Do generational divides mean anything anymore?

Of course, frustration with generalizations crafted in an attempt to define and differentiate them from those who have come before and after is something every generation that has lived through the digital age has experienced. This is also the case in trying to break generations down further into subsections.

This has particularly been true as the modern world has shifted more rapidly. What defines the culture this year may be completely different three years from now, in terms of tech, politics, human rights, and more.

And to a certain extent, we’ve seen this reflected in the shortening of generational definitions. The Silent Generation spanned a full 17 years (1928-1945), compared to Millennials covering 15 (1981-1996), whereas Gen Z is already down to a span of 12 years, if you agree with 2009 marking the generation’s end.

All of which is to say, Gen Z isn’t the first generation to feel there’s a disconnect between those born at different times within their predetermined era, even if not everyone agrees upon what those differences are, or why they exist.

This. I’m close to the older cutoff for millennials, but do not share most of the generalities of that generation. At the same time, I don’t have the experiences of gen x. I see a big difference between millennials who remember the 80s/early 90s and later ones.

— Thief17 (@ThievingRome) February 4, 2025

As a 96 millennial, sometime during 2001 is the cutoff for where people go from being more relatable to me than 80s millennials to me not knowing what in the genuine hell you are talking about. And that’s just 5 years younger than me but the difference is so stark

— whyamihere (@pillaroffluff) February 4, 2025

True. Xennials tend to be a lot more conservative than later millennials.

Millennials who were in or about to go to college post-great recession are still statistically the most left leaning group in the country. We got fucked by wall street and we will never forget it.

— That Nagus (@papacap727) February 4, 2025

Gen z having an ‘elder millennial’ moment https://t.co/59lgtLXrqC

— Bruno (@brunosaurustext) February 3, 2025

This is true of every generation. “Elder millennial”, “peak millennial”, “younger millennial” is a thing for a reason. Doesn’t mean we’re not the same generation. We’re siblings in generational cohorts.

Gen Z is everyone who remembers life before Covid but not life before 9/11. https://t.co/0lheWRpVPt

— orphic resonance (@orphicresonance) February 4, 2025

One thing we do know for certain is that not all members of Gen Z have left their teenage years yet. They’re still in that formative period, and what may or may not define their generation—or, at least, their portion of it—can still change. Hopefully for the better.

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